TH: Is there anything about this Ballantine’s 18 Years Old, that the creators should know before they start their designs?Ballantine’s: Ballantine’s 21 Years Old is rich, balanced and luxurious, with wonderful depth of flavour. When tasting this whisky, you can get a variety of different notes, including aromatic spice, honey-sweetness, a wonderful nuttiness and bountiful fruitiness. It is the latter that we focus on in with the Orchard Fruits edition, as we celebrate the classic Speyside malt influence in the blend.

TH:Below are examples of design submitted to previous Ballantine’s Creative Invite - what is it about these designs what captures prestige so well?Ballantine’s: These examples show a flowing elegance in their design, not only capturing the essence of the flavour notes, but also capturing the blend of flavours and the mastery behind crafting a whisky such as this. Depth, balance and layers are all terms that we apply to aged Ballantine’s blends, but are all concepts that can be translated into the pack design.

TH: How do you see the Talenthouse community capturing prestige and sophistication in their designs inspired by the Orchard Fruits flavour notes?Ballantine’s: Designers can take inspiration from not only the moodboard, but also the two previous Signature Flavour Editions, which all convey richness of colour, depth of texture and a high level of intricacy in the design elements. All these qualities come together to reflect the prestige of Ballantine’s and the sophistication of the liquid inside the bottle, which has developed its complex flavour over 21 years in the cask. In addition to this, both the Warming Spices & Golden Zest Editions used gold in a subtle way to accent and elevate the depictions of the flavour notes, which could be used as another device to denote prestige.

TH: Below are some examples of creators who have submitted designs that are inspired by flavour note, but in an abstract, elegant way. How do you see creators capturing the flavour notes of Orchard Fruits in their designs?Ballantine’s: As with the creation of the whisky itself, it is about being delicate and nuanced in the implementation of the design. These examples show how colour is used to subtly evoke not only the flavour notes themselves, but the season that grow in or the landscape from which they came, all whilst keeping the idea rooted in the whisky world. We have had some fantastic designs for the last two editions and we greatly look forward to seeing what will be produced for Orchard Fruits.

TH:Is there anything that would feel off brand or off brief that creators should know about before starting their design?Ballantine’s: Our world is simple yet elevated, classic yet contemporary. Ballantine’s is not afraid to be different. Going against traditional luxury codes, we operate in an understated way.Driven by a passion for craft and with a strong self-belief, Ballantine’s has hidden power and works to the principle of “know, not show“ by relying on its expertise to shine through without showing off or trying too hard. Keep this in mind, and you’ll capture the brand.